Physical Appearance
Winter Elves (Edhelos in Edhelkwen) are very much a product of their environment. They have the same physical characteristics as other Elves, and many are tall, thin and elegant in their movements and manner, but they have a distinctive look that is impossible to miss. Skin tones may vary.
Naturally occurring white markings blend from their hair to their faces. The marks cover most areas of the body, but the face is most apparent. These marks are often tattooed for embellishment. The tattoos can be simple outlines of the markings or entire poems, written in Elvish, scribed inside the markings that detail a survival story of the bearer.
They all have white streaks through their hair from birth. When possible they will braid these white locks to hang down the front or sides of their faces and intertwine them with cold-forged glass and crystals.
Their lips are usually a bluish or white tint as are their fingernails.
Their clothing and decorations are very reminiscent of their environment. They wear clothing and jewelry of white, blue, silver, gray, and sometimes a pale purple. They also use evergreens as an inspiration, but this is done to a lesser extent. Their jewelry is often fashioned to represent the crystals, icicles, snow, and plants of their winter environment.
Lifespan
They share the same natural life span of other Elves, though avoiding all the dangers of the mountains to achieve that life span is an accomplishment. In fact, the oldest Elf is considered the Crystalline leader because he has experienced the most and survived the longest.
Sub-Species
None.
Culture
Despite their distance and harsh living environments, they still share many traits with their Vesve and Doro Y’Edhel cousins. They appreciate, and create, finely crafted art, fashioned mostly from ice and cold-forged glass, a special type of glass unique to this region.
This race is extremely practical because their environment does not allow for many luxuries. They entertain themselves with mental puzzles, jokes (they have a very sardonic sense of humor) and long stories, usually telling of survival. They are, surprisingly, practical jokers who enjoy playing a good trick on the unsuspecting.
They do not have wine because the idea of picking grapes, squeezing them and storing them for years till they ferment seems like an awful waste of time. “Why not just eat the grapes?” They understand that the taste is different, but it doesn’t seem worth the effort when you live in a frozen wasteland. They do have a fast fermenting alcohol drink called Blu, however. This is different from the candy confection by the same name.
They also believe that nature provides, but it does not give handouts. You have to work for your survival.
The focal event of the year comes with the first snows. While the land of the Winter Elves remains frozen all year, the first snows mark when the Rimestags come out of hibernation and the “Rime Hunt” can begin. It is a mark of adulthood when a Winter Elf (male or female) goes on their first Rime Hunt. Rimestags are huge shaggy beasts with horns that can stretch over two meters across. The elves use Rimestag hides to cover the floors of their homes and try to use every part of the beast when killed.
Having said this, and while the Winter Elves admire survival, they have no artificial rites of passage. They believe life is harsh enough without making up foolish rituals.
To hunt a Rimestag, an elf dons a white cloak (usually a Rimestag skin made from the elf’s first kill) and goes to an area where the Stags may graze on evergreens. The hunter digs a shallow depression in the snow and lies in wait, with the cloak covering them. When a Stag comes close enough, they strike with a long bladed weapon. The Stags often do not die immediately, and have to be tracked. Foolish elves have been known to hold onto the fleeing Stag and ride along, but the chances of the Stag running into a crevasse are too great.
The Elves also partake in spear fishing, but their method would frighten most sane fishermen. Usually a hole is cut in the ice, and the fisherman dives into the water with a spear. They swim below the surface, holding their breath for multiple minutes, and using air pockets below the ice. They spear what fish they can and return to the surface. The fish are sliced thinly and wrapped in berries and other foods as a meal.
These elves live in tightly knit communities called a “Crystalline”. A Crystalline is comprised of a number of “Crystalshares”, a sort of community structure that houses ten households. Crystallines are usually built along very defensible natural areas such as cliffs and/or crevasses that act as moats. These defenses are more for protection from the wild creatures of the mountains, but sporadic attacks from Orcs and humans from Vengaard in the north do happen.
The snows are also revered because they are needed to replenish the layers of ice that the Winter Elves use for carving sculptures and constructing their homes.
The Crystalshare is at the heart of the Winter Elf community and is the most beautiful display of their craftsmanship. A Crystalshare is formed by setting 11 poles, each three elves high, into the ground to outline the shape of the 12-sided Crystalshare. Each pole has a long notch carved from top to bottom that is then fitted with large, flat panes of ice and cold forged glass. The roof is also made this way, though additional snowfall covers the roof, which becomes opaque. Since the temperatures on the high mountain slopes never rises above freezing, the structures are quite sound.
The result is a structure made almost entirely out of glass and ice resembling a crystal jewelry box. During the day, light shines in and is refracted by the crystal-like formations. At night, chandeliers carved from blocks of ice hold glowing lichens that illuminate the room. They use no fire.
Two of the sides of the structure are designated for entryways, and extend out a short way to accommodate two doors that act as an airlock to keep the wind out. Newer Crystalshares may only have Rimestag hides covering the entrances, but older ones have carved and balanced ice and cold-forged glass doors. The other ten sides are used as openings to short snow or ice tunnels leading to individual households. These are often under the snow pack and, except for the tunnels leading from the Crystalshare, are not often seen. When the number of elves reaches a certain point, members of various Crystalshares and Crystallines who need the new space build a new Crystalshare.
Outside the Crystalshares are many amazing and delicate ice sculptures, a common pastime of almost every Winter Elf. There are multiple ice sculpture contests throughout the seasons where the few Crystallines gather to compete. Few sculptures are permanent because a warm (by their standards) summer day will melt the fragile tendrils of ice that usually comprise the art pieces. The larger blocks are cleared away, and new sculptures are begun.
There is an annual winter festival, the Khelek, when the snow reaches low on the mountains. Elves from all over the northern mountain ranges come to trade, tell stories and participate in winter games including Rimestag hunting, spear fishing, shield sledding, and racing down hill on planks of wood. This is one of the few times non-elves are welcome to visit Winter Elf lands, and it is common to see Dwarven traders at these events. However, since the only ways to reach these regions in the winter are through Dwarven lands, few outside the Dwarves and the Winter Elves have ever witnessed the Khelek.
Theology
Magik
The Winter Elves have the same connection to the fey and Elemental magik as all elves, but their connection is less through trees and more through rock and snow. They consider the voices of trees in the hot lands to be too “loud” because they have become attuned to the quiet, low voices of the mountains. In order to listen to the rocks of the Hot Lands, they must do so away from the trees. Their form of BLEND works the same way, but it is best used among rocks and earth.
Due to their ability to hear the talk of stone and other quiet items, Winter Elves can get faint impressions from wooden and stone objects, but they are able to only glean information from before, and shortly after, the object was cut or carved from its original state.
The Winter Elves do not produce many full mages, as much of their culture is based around hunting with weapons.
They have a natural resistance to cold-based spells. The FREEZE spell has effect, but only last ten seconds as the elves can cause it to shatter.
The Winter Elves have no real concept of Death Magik. They have no sentient enemies who use magic of any kind, and Death Magik is unheard of. Due to this, Winter Elves are sensitive to Death Magik. Some even say that due to their pure closeness to nature, and sensitivity to things that aren’t frozen, that they can feel Death Magik (this is a pending use of DETECT EVIL AURA).
A Winter Elf healed by Death Magik will be healed, but it will be very painful and mentally traumatic. There is concern that their families will not take them back if the scent of Death is too strong on them.
Language
Names
History
Politics
The Winter Elves have a very unstructured society based primarily on age and worship of nature. The thinking in this harsh environment is that the eldest have survived the longest and are worthy of leading.
Still, the community decides most decisions as a group. They respect achievement over titles and the elf with the most experience in a subject is given greater weight when discussing a subject they are expert in. Since their communities are so small, no titles are usually used. Each knows the histories of the others and affords the proper respect based on it.
By virtue of distance, the Winter Elves care not for any of the politics of the Elven courts.
The Winter Elves admire humans for their ability to accomplish so much in their short life-spans. The Winter Elves keep only a passing view of human politics, if only to ensure they are not about to be caught in the middle of some large land battle.
Allies
The Winter Elves and Dwarves who inhabit the tunnels near their territory get along well. The Dwarves often provide carving tools and some weapons and the Elves trade cold-forged glass, berries and meat. They each respect the heartiness of the other and share a link with stone.
The Winter Elves share a somewhat strained relation with their Elven cousins who do not quite know what to make of their snowbound kin. Some think this is because the Winter Elves hunt and eat other animals (raw!) to survive which is against the beliefs of many elves. The winter elves see it as a practical “circle of life” concept.
They also simply do not communicate very often, so there are many, many elves that have never seen a Winter Elf. There is also the fact that the Winter Elves represent (theologically) the end of the cycle of life, which makes some outsiders uncomfortable.
Of all the races, they are most closely related to the Autumn Elves of the Vesve and keep in contact when possible. This is not to say that they dislike each other. To the contrary, they are cousins and treat each other so. The Hot Land elves just seem unnerved at times by their relatives’ quiet nature and unusual habits.
Most have never seen, nor even heard of, a winter elf. Some mistake them for Drow because of their white hair and pointed ears. The dark skinned Winter Elves, especially, are prone to this mistake even though they would never be mistaken for a Drow when placed side by side.
Enemies
Territory
The Winter Elves are a race that live their life in the rugged, frozen plateaus, glaciers and steppes along the northern face of the Dwarven mountains. They lead an isolated, hunter/gatherer life and are not often seen in the “Hot Lands”, as they are accustomed to the constant freezing temperatures of their home climate.
Special Abilities
Weaknesses
Of Interest Snowblossoms: Unique to the territory of the Winter Elves is a white, rose-like flower called a Snowblossom. The Snowblossom is slightly magical, and has remarkable healing properties in potions and powders (magical OR natural). It is also the only known cure for the "City Sickness" that can befall elves (especially Autumnal elves) who spend too much time in the cities. When needed, the Winter Elves will bring a Snowblossom bloom to their close cousins. For transport, a Snowblossom is found that has been frozen inside of ice. Due to its magikal properties, the ice will not melt (at least not perceptibly), regardless of temperature (It can be thrown in a fire or broken, however.) The few Winter Elves who travel abroad will usually have a Snowblossom of their own to keep them connected to their homeland and aid in healing (this is more of a roleplaying effect for now).
Winterfinches: When out hunting or exploring, Winter Elves often have a small white bird with them called a “Winterfinch”. Winterfinches are nervous creatures and can actually give a short advanced warning when avalanches (and to a lesser degree, crevasse falls) are imminent. Their use is so common, the phrase “That’s like leaving the Crystalshare without your winterfinch” is often used when someone does something stupid. Most Winterfinches cannot survive in the Hot Lands.
Blu: Blu is an alcohol formed from a fast fermenting berry that grows on the slopes of the Elves homeland. The berries used are seasonal, and ripen by the first hard frost of the year (early fall). There is also a candy of the same name that Winter Elves will give to people they meet while travelling.
The Shattering: In the summer, the huge ice fields where the Winter Elves make their home can crack when the warmer summer sun causes it to melt. When this happens, a huge cracking sound is heard as the ice splits and forms huge crevasses.
Shatterice Surveyors: A profession unique to the Winter Elves is that of a “Shatterice Surveyor”. These Elves study the fissures and cracks in the deep ice packs and glaciers and determine their stability. They are responsible for predicting where and when the ice will shatter. Crystallines are built according to the Surveyor’s suggestions, and sometimes existing structures have to be moved. After centuries of experience, they are very skilled at their craft.
ColdForged Glass: One of the truly unique items to come from the Winter Elves is a type of glass that requires no smelting process or heat to form it. The practice is not necessarily a secret, but their limited contact with the outside world makes the process almost unknown outside the Crystalshares. The main ingredient in the glass is a special stone found at lower altitudes that is weakend by the constant freezing and unfreezing. It is easily crushed and the powder is used to from the glass.
Game Appearance [Note: The Winter Elves are the creation of Coffee Polk and Jason Ryan and were originally played by Coffee, Jason and Jun Ahn, September 2002. If you plan on playing Winter Elves, please contact Coffee or Jason ahead of time as we are tying to maintain cohesive history, behaviors, and customs from character to character.]
Winter Elves (Edhelos in Edhelkwen) are very much a product of their environment. They have the same physical characteristics as other Elves, and many are tall, thin and elegant in their movements and manner, but they have a distinctive look that is impossible to miss. Skin tones may vary.
Naturally occurring white markings blend from their hair to their faces. The marks cover most areas of the body, but the face is most apparent. These marks are often tattooed for embellishment. The tattoos can be simple outlines of the markings or entire poems, written in Elvish, scribed inside the markings that detail a survival story of the bearer.
They all have white streaks through their hair from birth. When possible they will braid these white locks to hang down the front or sides of their faces and intertwine them with cold-forged glass and crystals.
Their lips are usually a bluish or white tint as are their fingernails.
Their clothing and decorations are very reminiscent of their environment. They wear clothing and jewelry of white, blue, silver, gray, and sometimes a pale purple. They also use evergreens as an inspiration, but this is done to a lesser extent. Their jewelry is often fashioned to represent the crystals, icicles, snow, and plants of their winter environment.
Lifespan
They share the same natural life span of other Elves, though avoiding all the dangers of the mountains to achieve that life span is an accomplishment. In fact, the oldest Elf is considered the Crystalline leader because he has experienced the most and survived the longest.
Sub-Species
None.
Culture
Despite their distance and harsh living environments, they still share many traits with their Vesve and Doro Y’Edhel cousins. They appreciate, and create, finely crafted art, fashioned mostly from ice and cold-forged glass, a special type of glass unique to this region.
This race is extremely practical because their environment does not allow for many luxuries. They entertain themselves with mental puzzles, jokes (they have a very sardonic sense of humor) and long stories, usually telling of survival. They are, surprisingly, practical jokers who enjoy playing a good trick on the unsuspecting.
They do not have wine because the idea of picking grapes, squeezing them and storing them for years till they ferment seems like an awful waste of time. “Why not just eat the grapes?” They understand that the taste is different, but it doesn’t seem worth the effort when you live in a frozen wasteland. They do have a fast fermenting alcohol drink called Blu, however. This is different from the candy confection by the same name.
They also believe that nature provides, but it does not give handouts. You have to work for your survival.
The focal event of the year comes with the first snows. While the land of the Winter Elves remains frozen all year, the first snows mark when the Rimestags come out of hibernation and the “Rime Hunt” can begin. It is a mark of adulthood when a Winter Elf (male or female) goes on their first Rime Hunt. Rimestags are huge shaggy beasts with horns that can stretch over two meters across. The elves use Rimestag hides to cover the floors of their homes and try to use every part of the beast when killed.
Having said this, and while the Winter Elves admire survival, they have no artificial rites of passage. They believe life is harsh enough without making up foolish rituals.
To hunt a Rimestag, an elf dons a white cloak (usually a Rimestag skin made from the elf’s first kill) and goes to an area where the Stags may graze on evergreens. The hunter digs a shallow depression in the snow and lies in wait, with the cloak covering them. When a Stag comes close enough, they strike with a long bladed weapon. The Stags often do not die immediately, and have to be tracked. Foolish elves have been known to hold onto the fleeing Stag and ride along, but the chances of the Stag running into a crevasse are too great.
The Elves also partake in spear fishing, but their method would frighten most sane fishermen. Usually a hole is cut in the ice, and the fisherman dives into the water with a spear. They swim below the surface, holding their breath for multiple minutes, and using air pockets below the ice. They spear what fish they can and return to the surface. The fish are sliced thinly and wrapped in berries and other foods as a meal.
These elves live in tightly knit communities called a “Crystalline”. A Crystalline is comprised of a number of “Crystalshares”, a sort of community structure that houses ten households. Crystallines are usually built along very defensible natural areas such as cliffs and/or crevasses that act as moats. These defenses are more for protection from the wild creatures of the mountains, but sporadic attacks from Orcs and humans from Vengaard in the north do happen.
The snows are also revered because they are needed to replenish the layers of ice that the Winter Elves use for carving sculptures and constructing their homes.
The Crystalshare is at the heart of the Winter Elf community and is the most beautiful display of their craftsmanship. A Crystalshare is formed by setting 11 poles, each three elves high, into the ground to outline the shape of the 12-sided Crystalshare. Each pole has a long notch carved from top to bottom that is then fitted with large, flat panes of ice and cold forged glass. The roof is also made this way, though additional snowfall covers the roof, which becomes opaque. Since the temperatures on the high mountain slopes never rises above freezing, the structures are quite sound.
The result is a structure made almost entirely out of glass and ice resembling a crystal jewelry box. During the day, light shines in and is refracted by the crystal-like formations. At night, chandeliers carved from blocks of ice hold glowing lichens that illuminate the room. They use no fire.
Two of the sides of the structure are designated for entryways, and extend out a short way to accommodate two doors that act as an airlock to keep the wind out. Newer Crystalshares may only have Rimestag hides covering the entrances, but older ones have carved and balanced ice and cold-forged glass doors. The other ten sides are used as openings to short snow or ice tunnels leading to individual households. These are often under the snow pack and, except for the tunnels leading from the Crystalshare, are not often seen. When the number of elves reaches a certain point, members of various Crystalshares and Crystallines who need the new space build a new Crystalshare.
Outside the Crystalshares are many amazing and delicate ice sculptures, a common pastime of almost every Winter Elf. There are multiple ice sculpture contests throughout the seasons where the few Crystallines gather to compete. Few sculptures are permanent because a warm (by their standards) summer day will melt the fragile tendrils of ice that usually comprise the art pieces. The larger blocks are cleared away, and new sculptures are begun.
There is an annual winter festival, the Khelek, when the snow reaches low on the mountains. Elves from all over the northern mountain ranges come to trade, tell stories and participate in winter games including Rimestag hunting, spear fishing, shield sledding, and racing down hill on planks of wood. This is one of the few times non-elves are welcome to visit Winter Elf lands, and it is common to see Dwarven traders at these events. However, since the only ways to reach these regions in the winter are through Dwarven lands, few outside the Dwarves and the Winter Elves have ever witnessed the Khelek.
Theology
Magik
The Winter Elves have the same connection to the fey and Elemental magik as all elves, but their connection is less through trees and more through rock and snow. They consider the voices of trees in the hot lands to be too “loud” because they have become attuned to the quiet, low voices of the mountains. In order to listen to the rocks of the Hot Lands, they must do so away from the trees. Their form of BLEND works the same way, but it is best used among rocks and earth.
Due to their ability to hear the talk of stone and other quiet items, Winter Elves can get faint impressions from wooden and stone objects, but they are able to only glean information from before, and shortly after, the object was cut or carved from its original state.
The Winter Elves do not produce many full mages, as much of their culture is based around hunting with weapons.
They have a natural resistance to cold-based spells. The FREEZE spell has effect, but only last ten seconds as the elves can cause it to shatter.
The Winter Elves have no real concept of Death Magik. They have no sentient enemies who use magic of any kind, and Death Magik is unheard of. Due to this, Winter Elves are sensitive to Death Magik. Some even say that due to their pure closeness to nature, and sensitivity to things that aren’t frozen, that they can feel Death Magik (this is a pending use of DETECT EVIL AURA).
A Winter Elf healed by Death Magik will be healed, but it will be very painful and mentally traumatic. There is concern that their families will not take them back if the scent of Death is too strong on them.
Language
Names
History
Politics
The Winter Elves have a very unstructured society based primarily on age and worship of nature. The thinking in this harsh environment is that the eldest have survived the longest and are worthy of leading.
Still, the community decides most decisions as a group. They respect achievement over titles and the elf with the most experience in a subject is given greater weight when discussing a subject they are expert in. Since their communities are so small, no titles are usually used. Each knows the histories of the others and affords the proper respect based on it.
By virtue of distance, the Winter Elves care not for any of the politics of the Elven courts.
The Winter Elves admire humans for their ability to accomplish so much in their short life-spans. The Winter Elves keep only a passing view of human politics, if only to ensure they are not about to be caught in the middle of some large land battle.
Allies
The Winter Elves and Dwarves who inhabit the tunnels near their territory get along well. The Dwarves often provide carving tools and some weapons and the Elves trade cold-forged glass, berries and meat. They each respect the heartiness of the other and share a link with stone.
The Winter Elves share a somewhat strained relation with their Elven cousins who do not quite know what to make of their snowbound kin. Some think this is because the Winter Elves hunt and eat other animals (raw!) to survive which is against the beliefs of many elves. The winter elves see it as a practical “circle of life” concept.
They also simply do not communicate very often, so there are many, many elves that have never seen a Winter Elf. There is also the fact that the Winter Elves represent (theologically) the end of the cycle of life, which makes some outsiders uncomfortable.
Of all the races, they are most closely related to the Autumn Elves of the Vesve and keep in contact when possible. This is not to say that they dislike each other. To the contrary, they are cousins and treat each other so. The Hot Land elves just seem unnerved at times by their relatives’ quiet nature and unusual habits.
Most have never seen, nor even heard of, a winter elf. Some mistake them for Drow because of their white hair and pointed ears. The dark skinned Winter Elves, especially, are prone to this mistake even though they would never be mistaken for a Drow when placed side by side.
Enemies
Territory
The Winter Elves are a race that live their life in the rugged, frozen plateaus, glaciers and steppes along the northern face of the Dwarven mountains. They lead an isolated, hunter/gatherer life and are not often seen in the “Hot Lands”, as they are accustomed to the constant freezing temperatures of their home climate.
Special Abilities
Weaknesses
Of Interest
Snowblossoms: Unique to the territory of the Winter Elves is a white, rose-like flower called a Snowblossom. The Snowblossom is slightly magical, and has remarkable healing properties in potions and powders (magical OR natural). It is also the only known cure for the "City Sickness" that can befall elves (especially Autumnal elves) who spend too much time in the cities. When needed, the Winter Elves will bring a Snowblossom bloom to their close cousins. For transport, a Snowblossom is found that has been frozen inside of ice. Due to its magikal properties, the ice will not melt (at least not perceptibly), regardless of temperature (It can be thrown in a fire or broken, however.) The few Winter Elves who travel abroad will usually have a Snowblossom of their own to keep them connected to their homeland and aid in healing (this is more of a roleplaying effect for now).
Winterfinches: When out hunting or exploring, Winter Elves often have a small white bird with them called a “Winterfinch”. Winterfinches are nervous creatures and can actually give a short advanced warning when avalanches (and to a lesser degree, crevasse falls) are imminent. Their use is so common, the phrase “That’s like leaving the Crystalshare without your winterfinch” is often used when someone does something stupid. Most Winterfinches cannot survive in the Hot Lands.
Blu: Blu is an alcohol formed from a fast fermenting berry that grows on the slopes of the Elves homeland. The berries used are seasonal, and ripen by the first hard frost of the year (early fall). There is also a candy of the same name that Winter Elves will give to people they meet while travelling.
The Shattering: In the summer, the huge ice fields where the Winter Elves make their home can crack when the warmer summer sun causes it to melt. When this happens, a huge cracking sound is heard as the ice splits and forms huge crevasses.
Shatterice Surveyors: A profession unique to the Winter Elves is that of a “Shatterice Surveyor”. These Elves study the fissures and cracks in the deep ice packs and glaciers and determine their stability. They are responsible for predicting where and when the ice will shatter. Crystallines are built according to the Surveyor’s suggestions, and sometimes existing structures have to be moved. After centuries of experience, they are very skilled at their craft.
ColdForged Glass: One of the truly unique items to come from the Winter Elves is a type of glass that requires no smelting process or heat to form it. The practice is not necessarily a secret, but their limited contact with the outside world makes the process almost unknown outside the Crystalshares. The main ingredient in the glass is a special stone found at lower altitudes that is weakend by the constant freezing and unfreezing. It is easily crushed and the powder is used to from the glass.
Game Appearance
[Note: The Winter Elves are the creation of Coffee Polk and Jason Ryan and were originally played by Coffee, Jason and Jun Ahn, September 2002. If you plan on playing Winter Elves, please contact Coffee or Jason ahead of time as we are tying to maintain cohesive history, behaviors, and customs from character to character.]
Game Abilities
Game Weaknesses